Archive of Our Own

Qifrey is bored. Him and Olruggio snuck out again and this time they ended up at a quaint little village by the sea. 

They technically didn’t need to sneak out anymore, as they had passed the third test ages ago (who was Qifrey kidding, it was only a few months ago) but Beldaruit has been worried about Qifrey as of late and so they had to sneak out.

Qifrey knows he’s been acting off since the Tower of Tombs. He tries to smile through the ravaging guilt and grief but even he knows that he ain’t fooling anyone. Olruggio has been trying to get him to open up. He can’t. Because the one time he did, it ended in Qifrey writhing in pain, covered in silverwood, and Olruggio holding that cursed seal upon his head once again.

It can’t happen again. Qifrey won’t let it. 

Anyway, they’re at a seaside town. Because of it being at sea level, the town is like a maze and always at an angle. Though they discovered pretty quickly that only Qifrey seems able to navigate through the winding roads. It’s odd. When Olly complains about not being able to find the marketplace, he finds his feet moving before his own mind. Soon, they end up at the marketplace. 

“No way!” Olly says, out of breath from following Qifrey’s long strides (he’s finally taller than Olruggio). “How’d you know where it was?”

There’s a blank spot, where a page has been ripped out. He knows there’s something he’s missing but without the context he doesn’t know. 

Instead he shrugs and grins, “maybe I’m just better at directions than you.” 

The marketplace is bustling and busy for a small town. They’ve got their caps on, hoping to get some training in. Except, unlike most towns, half the town looks at them weary. Like they’re dangerous but can’t shoo the witches away. The only ones with wonder on their face are children who are then shushed by their parents. 

Olruggio walks a bit faster to catch up and whispers in Qifrey’s ear, “is it just me, or are they…staring at us weird?”

“It’s not just you,” Qifrey whispers back. 

They walk around more and eventually the weariness seems to go away when they realize that they’re just kids. Which leads to Qifrey’s current dilemma.

He’s bored. Like really bored. 

Screw Olruggio for having social skills! He could talk to anyone! He’s chatting it up with a vendor—trying to get the local tea—and it’s taking a really long time. Qifrey is sitting off on the side, resting his head on his hands, with his elbows propped up on his knees. 

The vendor is asking Olruggio something…Qifrey is hearing snippets. 

“He’s…missing…five years…tell….information…” and so on the vendor will go. 

Olly is looking a little pale though, getting paler with each word said. He looks at Qifrey once and Qifrey raises his singular eyebrow in question. Olruggio looks away.

It goes on…

Across the street the sound of ceramic shattering catches Qifrey’s attention. He looks up to see a young girl—aged around eighteen—staring directly at him. She has long amberish hair tied back and bright blue eyes. Her hair is wild and puffy like his own. 

People stop and one old woman walks up to the girl, grabbing her arms. 

“Oh dear, Colette! Are you alright?” The old woman asks. 

Colette, face pale and drawn with horror, keeps staring at Qifrey. 

He feels annoyed. He’s used to the stares from the witches at the Great Hall but often unknowables don’t care that he has white hair or that he covers one eye. He uses the tried and true glare at the girl, irritated. 

Her face only falls and she starts shaking. 

The old woman notices what Colette is staring at and her face sours. “Oi, Witch! Get out of here! We don’t want your kind here!” 

Qifrey startles, and out of the corner of his eye he sees Olruggio turn around. 

The old woman sees Qifrey look around and hesitate to move and shouts again, “yes you! Get out! I don’t care that you're children! Your kind are monsters!” 

Qifrey grits his teeth even when Olruggio gaped at the old woman. 

“Oi!” Olly yells, “he wasn’t doin’ anything. Chill out!” 

The old woman turns red and looks ready to yell again when Colette turns, “Grandma! Calm down! He’s not…he’s not hurting anyone.” 

She takes a deep breath and walks over to where Qifrey is sitting. Olly rushes over to be behind Qifrey but he barely notices him. The girl crouches down and looks him in the eyes. 

That ripped out page is back again. 

“Let’s start over, okay?” Her voice is warm. She holds out her hand. “I’m sorry for staring at you earlier, that was rude. My name is Colette but everyone calls me Coco.” 

He numbly shakes her hand, “Qifrey.” The warm touch sends a wave of energy and anxiety in him that he jolts out of it. He pulls back his hand harshly. Still he tries for a smile, “no harm done, ma’am.”

Olly hmphs above Qifrey and he looks up and grins genuinely. “And that idiot is Olruggio. Don’t mind him. He’ll get over it.” 

Qifrey ignores Olly’s offended oi! as Colette laughs. 

She grins, “as repentance, before you leave, young witches, can I treat you to some local cuisine in my house?”

Qifrey can imagine the sparkle in Olruggio’s eyes as he says, “free food?” 

Colette nods, “mhm.” She points to the top of a hill where a lone house sits near the local woods. “That’s my family’s home. Just come knock anytime and you’ll be welcome.” 

Qifrey feels stupidly warmed by this gesture from a stranger and the quick pain that radiates from his eye into his spine is harsh. A writhing feeling presses his lungs and he blinks harshly and squeezes his robes to not curl into a ball.

“Thank you,” he whispers, not wanting to ruin this. 

She nods, ruffles his hair, and calls as she walks back to her grandma, “hope to see you soon Puff Puff!” 

The warm feeling vanishes as annoyance replaces it. 

Olruggio bursts out laughing and Qifrey feels his face redden with outrage. He pats his own hair down and whispers incredulously, “Puff Puff?!” 

It just makes Olruggio laugh harder. 

<•~•~•~•~•> 

They decide to leave tomorrow afternoon after filing themselves up at Colette’s house. 

Though, for the night they decide to camp in the woods, a few minutes away from Colette’s house. Olruggio sets up the fire from his palm quire and they end up huddling around it. 

Qifrey tugs his cloak further on, watching the forest. It seems familiar in that strange way. Olruggio is studying the fire with an odd intensity. Come to think of it…he’s been quiet since they stepped out of the market and Qifrey let them away. 

Qifrey sighed, probably too dramatically, and moved over to be next to Olruggio. 

He nudged Olruggio’s shoulder, “Olly.” 

Olly hummed but didn’t answer. 

Qifrey huffed and nudged him again. “Olllyyyy,” he said, drawing out Olruggio’s name. 

“What?”

Aha! A reaction. 

“What’s got you all worked up?” Qifrey asked. 

Olruggio’s face twisted and he tightened his grip on his robes. He continued to stare at the fire. 

“Olly.”

Olruggio sighed, “don’t be mad.”

Qifrey raised his eyebrows, confused, “why would I be mad?”

“Er—“ Olly's face twisted again, “do you ever think about the before?”

Qifrey felt the blood in his face drain, “before what?” 

“Before you were found?”

Qifrey blinked, “what?”

Olly shuffled and shoved his head in his knees. “I knew it was a stupid question that’s going to make you all moody and of course you think about the before! Ughhhh…” 

“Olly.” 

Olruggio groaned into his knees. 

“Olly!” 

Olruggio lifted his head.

“What made you ask?”

Olruggio took a deep breath and stared intensely at the fire again. “The vendor today asked if we had seen a dark haired kid anywhere in our travels. I said, ‘well I’ve seen many dark haired kids! Why do you ask?’ And she goes, ‘there was a kid five years ago who went missing. He vanished into the woods right after a witch visited. The family’s still looking for him and holding out hope. Tell me if you find any information.’” Olly gestures and makes voices to tell the story. 

Qifey furrowed his eyebrow, “Okay but what does that have to do with me?” 

Olly started fidgeting with his hands, “I know you said that your past is behind you, but do you ever wonder? If this family is still looking for this kid, then maybe your family still is too?” He huffed. “You had a name, you had a family, so maybe we could find it?” Olruggio looked up at Qifrey.

“Why would we do that?” Qifrey felt his breath get heavier. What did it matter that he had a mother or a father? He was a witch. They were most likely outsiders so he couldn’t share magic with them. He couldn’t get safe with them. 

“You’ve been off lately,” Olruggio starts, not knowing that he’s dumped the feeling of ice water onto Qifrey’s head. It can’t be this soon again. “You’ve been quieter, smiling less, laughing less, you won’t let me hug you! It’s been since the Tower of Tombs. Are you sure you’re okay with not knowing?” He moves, taking Qifrey’s hands in his. 

Qifrey swallowes harshly against the wave of discomfort that rises within him. “I told you. I only care about who I am now and in the future. Not the past.”

“Qifrey..”

He snatches back his hands, and turns away, to lay down by the fire. “Leave it! It doesn’t matter!”

Qifrey hears Olruggio sigh and settle down by the fire as well. He’s glad he’s turned away from Olruggio so that he doesn’t see how tightly Qifrey is clutching his own robes. He curls into himself and tries to fall asleep.

<•~•~•~•~•> 

He must have drifted off to sleep on the cold ground floor, because the next thing he knows he’s blinking awake. 

He shifts and pulls himself up to a seat, rubbing the sleep out of his eye. The pyreball ran out in the night, leaving a burnt crisp of paper. Olruggio is sprawled out on the ground, snoring away. His cloak is tangled through his legs and his shaggy hair is in every direction. Qifrey has to hold back a stupid smile for how fond he feels. 

The sun is just starting to rise over the ocean and Qifrey gets up to get a better view of it. It’s pretty. 

Colette’s house rests at the edge of the hill. It’s a pretty blue color with a small tower coming out of it. There’s a singular tree nearby with an empty swing hung on it.

Olly groaned from the ground as he was forced from restful sleep. “Blah….” he said, wincing from the light coming overhead. He blinked a few times before focusing on Qifrey. “How are you already up?” he complained. “It’s too early for this.”

Qifrey didn’t tell him the truth. That he hasn’t slept peacefully for as long as he can remember and that waking up early is a relief to him. That he didn’t die in his sleep. 

Instead he says, “you need to sleep more, Olly. Your bags have bags.” He grins and walks over to Olruggio, crouching down. He reaches out and rubs Olruggio’s hair, further messing it up.

“Qifrey,” Olly whines, trying to put it back down.

“Oops!” He shrugs. 

They pack up their camp, even though there isn’t much anyway. They start a conversation on if they should go to the town first to get food or if they should have breakfast at Colette’s. Qifrey argues the town, and Olruggio argues the house.

“You didn’t seem to like her earlier,” Qifrey says. 

“I didn’t like her grandmama! She was yelling at you!” 

“Well now that we know that they blame a witch for a kid’s disappearance, then that makes sense!” 

“You’re too selfless!”

“Yet you want to go to Colette’s house!” 

Olly tilts his head, “you don’t? It’s free food!”

Qifrey flushes, “it’s uh—it’s just—“ He doesn’t finish. Instead he shrugs. 

A voice calls a familiar name, though Qifrey doesn’t know how he recognizes it. He turns around to see Colette. 

She sees more than just Qifrey and notices her mistake. “Young Witches?” she calls instead. 

Olruggio grins and waves at her. 

She walks over, hands on her hips. “Did you two camp out here? It’s dangerous!” 

Olruggio holds up his hands, “It’s okay! We do this all the time! Plus, we’re witches so we have defenses!”

Colette’s lip wobbles and her gaze lingers on Qifrey, “what if a witch attacked you? Or stole you away? It’s happened before, so I would be careful.” 

Qifrey frowns, weirded out by this stranger’s concern. “We’re not children. We’re thirteen, so you shouldn’t worry,” he says. 

Olruggio sighs as well, crossing his arms with a silly look on his face. “Also, why would a witch attack another witch? It’s a small enough world that we might know each other anyway!”

“Still–” she tries to protest, before cutting herself off. She grabs some of her loose auburn hair from her bun and twirls in between her fingers in a nervous habit. “It would weigh on my mind if anything happened to you two. Would you come inside?” 

“Can we pack up first?” Qifrey points to their bags that they used as pillows. 

She blinks and then nods. “Of course!”

They pack up and make their way across the small field to the house. It’s simple, with a singular floor. Qifrey eyes the swing but Colette opens the door before he can ask. The space is open, with only three wooden doors available. The kitchen and living room are connected and intertwine with objects in both areas. A fireplace is smoldering by the couches.

She gestures towards the couch. “Come! Come! I’ll make you some tea!” 

Qifrey and Olruggio shuffle awkwardly towards the couch and sit down. Colette moves around the kitchen, pulling out herbs and putting the water in a fire to heat it up. It’s so slow. With magic, you could make tea instantly, but without it you have to be slow. 

Qifrey doesn’t know if it would be comforting or painful if he were to do it this way.

After a bit, she comes and sets down three normal tea cups filled with golden liquid. Qifrey grabs his, blows a bit, and takes a sip. He can’t help the sound of delight that escapes him as the taste hits his tongue. He takes another big sip, delighted. Olruggio, seeing his reaction, picks up the teacup and slurps down a long gulp. His eyes widen.

“This is good!” Olruggio says. Qifrey nods and takes another slurp, swinging his legs back and forth.

Colette laughs. She picks up her own teacup and looks down at it, smiling softly. Her finger traces the rim of the cup as she says, “it’s a family recipe. I made it with my little brother years ago.”

Olruggio blinks in confusion, though Qifrey thinks he has it figured out.

Olly looks around, “is he and your parents out?”

Colette smiles softly, though her eyes are sad. “Er, no. My brother went missing five years ago. My parents have been traveling to search for him ever since. My Grandma comes over every now and then to take care of me.” She fidgets with the teacup then takes a sip. “Mmm,” she says.

Olruggio’s eyes widen in understanding and recognition. 

Qifrey–though he feels bad–is mostly curious. This is the same boy that the town thinks was taken by witches. He squints at her and asks, “what happened?”

He vaguely feels Olly swat at Qifrey's arm and whisper, “Qifrey,” in alarm.

Colette giggles at their antics and sets the teacup down. “No, no, I don’t mind.” She crosses her fingers together, eyes set down. “In fact, you might know information.” She smiles wetly, “we haven’t found anything after all. How could we? Us normal humans against the might of magic. My parents send letters every two months from another town reassuring me that this time, this time they’ll find him.” 

Qifrey and Olruggio exchange a look, unsure what to do. 

She says that familiar name again. “That’s what my brother was called. He had hair just like yours, Qifrey, though not pure as snow in color. Ocean blue eyes.” She stared at Qifrey again, “in fact…he looks a lot like you. That’s why I stared at you in the marketplace. In fact–” Colette’s eyes filled with tears and she tangled her hands into her hair. She smiled weakly, “--I think I forgot what he looked like until I saw you again. Isn’t that horrible? I didn’t know I forgot his face. Until I saw a child wearing it.” 

Qifrey swallowed and stared back. 

Olruggio glanced at Qifrey, worried, then looked at Colette. “Could you tell us about the witch we keep hearing about, Colette?”

“It’s Coco!” She screeched, then seemed to calm down, breathing heavily. Her eyes glazed over. She took a sip of her tea and straightened up, “Oh my goodness! I’ve been a bad host haven’t I? I’ll make you some breakfast while I tell you all about this witch, hm?” She stands up and heads to the kitchen, smiling. “Well? Come on, boys!”

Qifrey looks at Olruggio–who looks shocked by Colette’s reaction–and looks to the kitchen where the young woman is bustling around the kitchen. He thinks he understands her reaction. Relates to it. Only, unlike him, she didn’t have a Master Beldaruit or Olruggio to fret over her. Only a Grandma who was falling ill with grief herself.

Maybe…maybe while he’s here, he can be a shining star for her. Like Olruggio had been for him. He’s not her brother, but maybe he can help her move on. With that thought, he straightens his shoulders and stands to go help her prepare breakfast. He hears Olly’s noise of confusion but he ignores it. It doesn’t matter what Olruggio thinks. 

“Here,” he says, holding out his hands, “how can I help?”

She grabs one of his hands and guides it towards a bowl. Her hand is warm and comforting. “Inside is some flatcake batter. All we need to do is pour the batter into the pan to cook it. I’m trusting you to get the perfect pour, hm?” 

Qifrey nods and grabs a ladle as Colette heats up a pan. 

Olruggio finally moves and stands next to Qifrey. He looks around before whispering into Qifrey’s ear, “what are you doing?”

Qifrey whispers back, “isn’t it our job as witches to help people? She needs help.” 

Olly exhales, “okay. Fine. I’ll help too.” He bumps their shoulders together. “We’re in this together right? Where you go, I go.” 

Qifrey tries not to wince at the piercing pain and pressure on his lungs and empty eye socket. “Okay,” he whispers back.

“Alright boys,” Colette says. “The pan is hot enough. Qifrey, if you would?”

Qifrey nods and scoops some batter into the pan. It sizzles, the smell surrounding the room. 

Once four glops of batter are cooking on the pan, Colette turns to them.

Olruggio nods at Qifrey.

Qifrey nods back. He takes one of Colette’s hands, “okay, Col–Coco,” he corrects. “Tell us what you know about this witch.”

She nods, crouching down to their eye level. She smooths back some of the hair on the side of his face, “well. He was tall, I think? A regular man.” With her other hand in Qifrey’s, she rubs circles into the back of it. “But the most odd part of it was his clothing. It wasn’t organized or simple like your uniforms were. There was so much going on in his outfit and his hat was different to yours as well. I didn’t believe at first that he was a witch. After all, he wasn’t just a pointed cap, but it was a hat with a gorgeous brim on it.”

Qifrey hears Olruggio’s sharp intake of breath and Qifrey feels his hand go numb in Colette’s. 

The Brimmed Caps…

Colette notices their reactions. “Do you know this witch?! Is there a way to save him? Please…” She brings Qifrey’s hand to her forehead. “Please tell me.” 

“I–” Qifrey starts. He swallows. She’s an unknowing. To her, there is stuff witches can’t do. To say that this illegal witch fraction stole your brother would be insane. Hmm. Would it though? He needs more information. 

“Why do you think the witch did it?” he continues.

She went to the pan and flipped the flatcakes. “Well,” she said. She said her brother’s name again. “--was just so enamored with magic. Always has been. So when this witch came in, helping the town, all he could talk about was magic this and magic that. The witch casted a spell in private and suddenly my brother ran up to me saying that he too had seen him cast spells. That he too could be a witch. The witch eventually was going to set off and my brother begged my parents to let him come with the witch. To let him become a witch’s apprentice.”

The flatcakes finished cooking and she set them on a spare plate. Qifrey ladled some more batter onto the pan. Olruggio was quiet, his face pensive. 

Qifrey has a better idea of what's going on. The boy saw that magic was drawn and realized he could be a witch.

Colette watched the flatcakes brown under the pan, her blue eyes fluttering with sorrow. “My parents said the thing we all knew, that witches were born. Not made. He couldn’t follow the witch and he definitely could not be a witch.” She took a deep breath. “That night the witch set off. We could see his lantern walking out of town. Everyone was supposed to be in bed so when I woke up to find my brother out of our room, I was surprised.”

She seemed to be mentally preparing herself for the next bit. Qifrey placed a hand on her arm, hoping it would comfort her. 

She smiled at the gesture. “He was leaving. Or getting ready to. I scolded him and he told me ‘I'm just going to say goodbye! I never got to. Don’t worry, big sister, I’ll be right back!’. So I let him go. As he went into those woods, the light from the witch went out, and we never saw him again.” 

She finished the flatcakes and took out plates and birch syrup for them. Qifrey and Olly took the plates and sat down at the kitchen table. 

They eat silently. The flatcakes are good and Olruggio compliments Colette when they start eating. Qifrey chews on the sugary cake, lost in thought. 

If it were a normal witch, then the boy’s memory would’ve been erased and sent back home. Instead he was taken. By a Brimmed cap witch.

The boy’s like me. 

Only Qifrey was the lucky one. This boy’s probably long dead from experiments and being buried alive. 

He didn’t feel lucky. With branches in his veins, hoping to kill him at any ounce of safety and calm he feels. But he’s not dead. He looks over to Olruggio who's scarfing down the flatcakes. He’s not dead yet. 

“The witch who took your brother away was not a normal witch,” said Olly, kind as ever. “Witches have rules they follow. The witches that follow those rules are ones with hats like ours. The witches who don’t follow the rules are bad witches. Evil. I’m so sorry about your brother. It’s…” Olly looked briefly at Qifrey. “It’s unlikely you’ll ever find him.”

Colette’s lips wobbled and tears gathered in her eyes. She rushed to the two of them and pulled them in for a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for confirming it. I just needed to know.” 

It was warm, was the first thing Qifrey noticed. And comforting. Familiar in that odd way. It felt so nice that he didn’t even notice that he practically melted into Colette’s arms. He vaguely heard Olly pat her arm and get out of the hug. 

It just felt so…safe here. He was able to sink further in when a sharp pain in his chest shocked him. He pulled away. Right. No safety allowed. He brushed a hand through his hair, happy to feel no leaves peaking through. 

Olruggio was looking at him weird and so Qifrey ignored it. As always. 

Colette looked shocked as well, looking down at Qifrey with an expression he couldn’t read. He shuffled.

“What?” he demands. 

Olly blinks and seems to come out of his trance. He shakes his head. 

“If that’s all,” Olly said. “Then we best be on our way.”

Colette blinked. “Oh.”

“Wait!” Qifrey said. They both turned to look at him. “Is there anything else we can do? Uhm. There’s been many victims of the brimmed caps. Your brother is not the first one. So is there anything else we could do?” 

Olruggio was staring at him with furrowed eyebrows. He was pulling on Qifrey’s cloak, clearly trying to get his attention.

“Oh, Puff Puff,” she breathed out. She was staring at him. Though not really. Her eyes were glazed over. She was staring at him like he was a different person. “You’re so kind.” She thought for a second. “My parents are going to be back tomorrow night. Keep me company until then?”

He agreed before he could think otherwise. 

Her answering smile made his chest hurt.

“You two can stay in my room. There’s two beds there. If uhm, you don’t mind using my brothers.” A dead kids bed. Ah. “I’ll stay in my parents room.”

Qifrey nodded. She pointed towards the room they would be staying in. He grabbed Olly’s wrist and led them to the room. 

<•~•~•~•~•> 

“What was that?” Olruggio demanded, when they entered the room. 

Qifrey didn’t answer at first, taking off his bag, hat, and cloak, and setting it on the smaller of the two beds. He guessed it was the dead kid’s bed. This side of the room was dusty, the bed included. It seemed to be dusted maybe once every few months. Like Colette was trying to save the memory of her sibling. 

The bed was small, clearly for a child. The cover was colorful, embroidered in an imitation of the stars above. Stuck on the walls were drawings. Little stick figures. The one that stood out the most was a drawing of two stick figures with brown hair and blue eyes. They had magic surrounding them. Colette and–Qifrey blinked around the familiar letters–the name of the missing child. 

“Qifrey?” Olly asked, worried in his tone.

“Hm?” Qifrey finally turned back around. “What’s up?”

“What’s up?” he repeated. “What’s going on with you? You–you suddenly want to stay here? This morning or even thirty minutes ago, you wanted to leave! Is it because of the brimmed caps? Are you chasing after them again?”

Qifrey shook his head, “no! No, no, no! I’m not…It would be a useless lead anyway.”

“Then why?” Olly holds his hands out. “I don’t get it!”

“Of course you wouldn’t get it!” Qifrey huffed out. “You’re not a victim of them! You’ll never get what she or I are going through!”

Qifrey felt himself exhale raggedly and looked at Olruggio through his fringe. Olly had his hands now at his sides, closed tightly. His expression was pinched together, twisted and turned in anguish. It was a far cry from the disbelief from earlier. 

Olly took a deep breath, ran his hands through his hair, and his face turned to acceptance. “Fine!” he said. “We can stay a bit longer! I don’t know why you want to but I’ll support you through it.”

Qifrey didn’t know why but he was always blinded away by the simple kindness Olruggio always showed. He shined so brightly onto others. 

“Olly…” he breathed out.

Olruggio tilted his head and grinned. “What?”

“Nothing. Nothing. It’s just you being you. I don’t know why I’m surprised.” He went to sit on the bed and instinctively grabbed the tassel to fiddle with. 

So kind indeed. 

Olruggio sighed. “Let’s just unpack.”

“Yeah, let’s.” 

They spend the next few minutes organizing their stuff and then agree to go practice their magic. They went outside the room to find Colette cleaning up the kitchen. 

“Coco!” Qifrey called. “We’re going to go explore!” 

She paused to look back at the two of them before her eyes settled on Qifrey. She smiled. “Alright,” she said. “No going out to the woods.”

They both nodded before heading out. They decided to head to the beach. Qifrey could practice controlling the waves then and Olruggio could master his drying spell and controlling the sand. 

They spent hours doing that, playing with their magic. Explanations and sounds of wonder that could only come from children expressing creativity. The pure kind of joy. The water rushing nearby is what Qifrey tethered. For he didn’t want to lose himself or this moment for it was too precious.

After that, set in the exhaustion as they lay on their backs in the sand, out of breath and with giggles every few minutes. 

“Phew!” Olruggio exclaimed. “I think I've almost got the drying spell mastered. Then I’ll create a wonderful invention that’ll serve all!”

Qifrey smiled softly, “I’m sure you will, Olly.” 

They both exhaled and stared at the sky. The sun wasn’t bright overhead and was on a course to set below the ocean within the hour. The clouds were tinted with purple and the sky was marbled with oranges, reds, and pinks. The wind nipped at their sweaty skin. 

Unbidden, Qifrey found himself talking. “It’s so familiar here.”

Olruggio made a noise to indicate he was listening. 

“The streets are familiar, the tea is familiar, the sky is familiar. Even the stories.” He found his eye tracing a cloud shaped like a tree. “Maybe that’s why I want to stay. The stories. Coco’s brother…” He felt the sand in his hand. “I’m the lucky one. Her brother is likely dead out there because of the Brimmed caps. Maybe buried alive, right eye plucked. Maybe some other organ or limb gone. Never found. I don’t think myself lucky but sometimes you look at the world and realize how blessed we are.”

Qifrey looked at Olruggio expecting him to be staring at the sky in thought. Instead their eyes met. Olly’s hair was golden in the sun and his eyes represented the blue stars of the sky that represented freedom.

“He’s dead and somehow I’m alive.”

Olruggio made a sad noise and his hand grasped Qifrey’s and squeezed. 

“I’m glad you’re here,” Olly said. “I never want to live in a world without you in it.” 

I know. Qifrey knew, knew more than Olruggio probably ever could imagine. Qifret felt the same. He lived the same. 

The ocean waves crashed against the shore in an expected rhythm as the sun slowly hugged the water. 

“We should go back,” Qifrey said softly. “We’re having local cuisine courtesy of Coco tonight after all.”

Their drawing supplies were quickly packed up and they ended up racing back up the hill in a foolish game to see who could end up at the house first. Qifrey lost. 

<•~•~•~•~•> 

The door opened to the smell of cooking seafood and garlique. Colette was right where they left her, in the kitchen. She was humming a familiar (all this familiarity was getting old. Like honestly.) song while something seared in a half-pot. She looks up when the door closes and her eyes brighten.

“Oh!” she says. “I thought–” Colette shuffles and seems to wave her own worry away. “Nevermind! Dinner will be ready soon! Qifrey, if you don’t mind, will you help me finish up?”

Qifrey nodded, set his bag down, and went to go help.

“Erm–”Olruggio started. Qifrey looked back to see Olly point at himself in confusion. “--What about me?”

Colette blinked and then startled like she forgot about Olruggio’s presence. “Could you set the table, Olruggio? Plates are in–” She pointed towards a low cupboard. Olruggio’s eyebrows drew down and he nodded. Not before sending a look that Qifrey couldn’t decipher between Colette and himself. 

She was putting cooked mussels in a bowl. She ordered him around and Qifrey followed them readily. It was right when he was pouring the hot seasoned butter as the final touch that some splashed him. He dropped the ladle in shock, immediately putting his hand to his mouth to cool it off.

Colette called him something–he thinks–though he was mostly focusing on his hands. 

He feels hands on his shoulder that snap him out of it. “Qifrey!” Olruggio calls. 

Qifrey blinks and looks at Olly and then Colette. He takes his hand out of his mouth and chuckles.

“Ah–sorry. Got a bit focused on the wound,” he said. 

Olruggio grabs his hand, deems it fine, and sighs in exasperation. “Ahhhh. One day you’re going to kill me.”

Well I hope not. 

Colette hasn’t spoken and Qifrey looks at her, studies her. 

She looks shaken, still staring at his hand. He holds it up with a smile.

“See? No harm done.” 

Olruggio makes a noise beside him and Qifrey shoots him a glare.

She seems to calm down and grabs the bowl to place on the set table. It looks like everything's calmed down from his accidental burn. 

He’s missing something. 

Colette is more shaken than need be for a boy she met yesterday. She said something, though he can’t figure out what.

Olruggio is looking at her differently too. It was mainly sympathetic concern but now it’s translated to a mild distrust. 

He missed so much just because he burnt his hand! Ugh!

The creamy mussel dish was astounding with Olruggio and him devouring every last drop.

They cleaned up after dinner and all of them retired to bed. 

Qifrey would ask Olly what he missed tonight. Hopefully he should get answers then. 

<•~•~•~•~•> 

It’s when they’re in bed and the sun has long gone down does Qifrey think about asking Olruggio what the problem is. 

“I feel like we’ve switched roles,” he whispers. It feels wrong to be any louder in the night. 

“Mhm?” Olly says, half asleep. 

“You were looking at Colette weird during dinner. Why?” He turns over to look at Olruggio buried in the covers, his head peaking out. 

Olly shifts, blinking awake. “You haven’t noticed it?”

“Noticed what?”

“She’s looking at you like you’re someone else. I thought it was grief and maybe it still is but at dinner when you burned yourself, she called you her brother's name.”

Olruggio looked at Qifrey, eyes glowing blue in the moonlight. “It’s like she’s trying for you to replace her brother. At least in her mind.”

Qifrey didn’t know how to respond to that, curling up further. Now he thinks he notices it too. 

“We’re going to have to leave. It’s just until the parents get back.” 

Olruggio exhaled. “Okay. We’ll leave tomorrow night.”

He burrows deeper into the blankets and soon Olly is snoring away.

Qifrey turns over, staring at the paper drawings. The smallest stick figure had unruly hair colored brown. It was holding a wand with sparkles coming out of it. Next to it was Colette, though she had shorter hair. More like a bob. The top was written with their names.

Qifrey sighed. It was useless to wonder about this. About this boy. About anything related to family. 

He turned back over and tried to fall asleep.

<•~•~•~•~•> 

Qifrey woke up with his throat screaming at him for water. He groaned as quietly as he could in annoyance. 

Olruggio was snoring away, illuminated by the moonlight. Some of his hair was stuck to his cheek through drool. 

Qifrey inched out of bed and tipped toed to Olly. He moved the hair off of Olruggio’s face. 

He sighed and grabbed his basic magic supplies. He’d just draw and grab some water until he fell asleep. 

Qifrey carefully opened the door, noticing the lack of noise, and silently went to the kitchen. 

By the fireplace was Colette. The fire was alive and crackling, dancing in the dark. She had a cup of tea in her hand. She was shadowed so Qifrey couldn’t make out her expression. 

Qifrey looked to the kitchen, wondering if he could find a way to sneak around to get his water and get back to the room. 

When he couldn’t find one, he sighed, and walked over to Colette. 

Qifrey crouched next to her where she was sitting in an arm chair. “Coco?” he whispered. “Are you alright?” 

She looked up, eyes glazed over. She stared at him for a moment. Her lips parted to say that familiar name again before it said the correct thing. “Qifrey? What are you doing up?”

He pointed towards the kitchen. “Thirsty.”

Her eyes brightened. “Oh! Let me take care of that.” 

She stood up, setting her tea cup down, and went to the kitchen to grab a cup of water and some tea. 

She hummed quietly while Qifrey stayed crouched next to the warmth of the fire. 

Colette brought back the two drinks, setting them down on a small table in the living room. 

He grabbed the tea first, eager to try it. It was the same one as last time, though it was still as delicious as before. 

They drank in silence for a few minutes before Qifrey felt like he should probably talk.

Darn Olruggio, making him better at socialization.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he starts. 

“Thinking,” she responds, thumbing the rim of the teacup. 

“About what?” 

Colette seems to debate what to say before sighing. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I did.”

Please don’t be about magic. Please don’t make me erase your memory. 

“Eavesdrop?” He tried to keep his tone calm and level. 

“Are you also a victim of what happened to my brother?”

Qifrey felt himself freeze. “What?”

“When you talked to your friend, you mentioned that you were a victim of what happened to—“ Colette cut herself off. She took a deep breath and turned to Qifrey, staring at him. Her amber hair shone in the firelight. “Don’t lie to me. That’s why you know so much about what happened to him. That’s why. You’re like him!” 

Qifrey felt his free hand unconsciously go to his right eye. Where there was none. 

She matched it, placed her hand on his, slowly guiding it to move the hair away, exposing the scar. Colette made a noise of despair, setting her teacup down, and moving to cup his cheek. He leaned into it. 

“Oh…” she whispered then pulled him in a tight hug. 

“They stole it from me,” he said. “They shoved me underground to suffocate after stealing my past and my right eye.”

And now they’re trying to steal his future too. 

That’s the first time he’s thought that. Rather than silently hoping to be found out, to have this curse over with, he’s blamed the brimmed caps. 

He wants to live. He wants to be a happy witch under the stars. 

He has to make sure that future happens.

“Your past?”

Qifrey curled into her arms. “They stole my past from me. I don’t know who I was before I was found four years ago. I don’t know my name, or if I had a family.”

“Oh Qifrey…” She rubbed a hand up and down his back. 

He felt tears prick in the corner of his eye but he squeezed them shut. He inhaled shakily and pulled back from her comforting arms.

We’re leaving tomorrow night. 

She was staring at him. Thinking. Eyebrows drawn. Like she understood something. 

“Do you like it where you live?” she asked. Her gaze was glazed over again.

It’s like she’s trying for you to replace her brother.

“No, not really,” he answered. It was Olruggio who made the place tolerable. But even Olly wanted to leave once they passed their fourth test. 

Qifrey thought she was going to say something more about her brother or him but instead she smiled. 

A feeling of dread was beginning to settle in his stomach. 

“I’ll clean up. Why don’t you go back to bed, hm?” She moved his bangs back from his right eye again, looking at his full face. She nodded a moment later. “Right. Off to bed with you, Puff Puff.” 

“Okay,” was all he could think to say. 

<•~•~•~•~•> 

Qifrey blinked awake that next morning, convinced it was all a dream. His art supplies being in a different place when he put them down after going to bed again told a different story. He propped himself up on one arm. 

He blinked in shock to seeing Olruggio up earlier than he was. He packed up his stuff slowly and dressed in his witches attire—not sure why he didn’t want to leave the room yet.

I’ll have to see Colette. 

That feeling of dread hasn’t left.

He saw that Olruggio’s stuff was still in the room—packed—so he must be with Colette. 

Qifrey took a deep breath and opened the door, sunlight filtering through the windows. Olruggio was sitting at the dinner table with a plate of toast and jam. He brightened when Qifrey walked over.

“Qifrey!” he exclaimed. “Here, come over, Colette left some breakfast.” 

Qifrey sat at the wooden table, grabbed the loaf and sliced a piece. The loaf was homemade—with a thick crust and soft steaming inside. He spread some redberry jam on it. 

He took a bite. The food here was always so good. A shame they were leaving tonight. 

“Where’s Coco?” he asks with his mouth stuffed full. 

Olruggio huffed, exasperated by Qifrey’s attempt at talking. “She went out into town to buy food for when her parents get home.” 

“Ah.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes before the door burst open. An older man with no hair and big shoulders looked around until he saw the two of them.

“You’re witches right?” he said, marching over. 

They nodded. 

“Which one of you is better at fixing things?”

Olruggio pointed at himself, “uh why? We’re in the middle of—“

The man grabbed Olruggio, shoving him towards the door. 

“If your sinful kind are going to be staying here, might as well help! Come on! I don’t have all day!”

And so Olruggio was pushed out the door. He looked back and yelled, waving, “don’t worry! I’ll be back in a few hours! Tell Colette where I am!” He finished it with a stupid grin and thumbs up that had Qifrey grinning back. 

“Don’t die!” Qifrey called back.

The door shut. 

He sighed loudly, looking around the empty space. 

Might as well find something to do. 

<•~•~•~•~•> 

Qifrey was doing the dishes when Colette got home, arms full of baskets. Different vegetables, fruits, and dried meats stacked high with it. 

She set it down on the kitchen table and looked up. She grinned. “Oh Qifrey, you sweet boy! Thank you for doing the dishes.”

Qifrey shrugged. “It’s no problem.”

“Still, thank you,” she said. 

Qifrey was waiting for her to ask about Olruggio but when she didn’t, he just ended up telling her. 

She shakes her head. “There’s a lot that needs to be done but witches are rare here and scared out of town. You’re the longest witch to stay here since well…”

Since the boy died went unspoken.

They spent a moment in silence with Qifrey drying the dishes and Colette putting the food away before she spoke again. “Could we talk?”

Dread creeped up like tree branches in his mind. “Sure.”

They settled down in the living room, by the fireplace. Same as last night. The curtains were drawn, coating the room in darkness.

She stokes the fire. “There’s something I can’t stop thinking about. A connection in my mind that refuses to leave.” 

Qifrey just listens.

“Five years ago my brother went missing. Four years ago you were found with no idea who you are. Both stories start with those witches that took the both of you.”

Qifrey huffed. “Yes I realize our stories are similar.”

Colette turned to Qifrey with a determined look on her face. “Not just similar! You look like him! You would be the same age as him!” She grabbed his shoulders. “You are him!” She smiled wildly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Qifrey froze. “What?” he whispered. Then shook his head. “No. No. No way. I have white hair! It’s just—you’re making things up in your grief.” He shrugged off her hands, standing up. 

She reached out for his hands like he was a god to be worshiped. 

“I’m not! This place feels familiar, I feel familiar, don’t I? I don’t know how your hair lightened but I’m sure it was those dreadful witches that did that to you!”

The realization punched him in the gut. 

The silverwood tree. When it sprouted it must’ve lightened his eyes and made his hair the color of snow. 

“I—“ 

“Please! Please! Please…” she sobbed out. “Please don’t go. Stay…you hate it there! Stay with me!”

He clasped onto her hand, trying to regulate his breathing. He was just staring at her. Her spiky amber hair and blue eyes. Her tears rolling down her cheeks. Her face twisted in desperation. 

“I don’t care that you were right all those years ago! That you could use magic all this time! Let your friend go and stay here!”

Let Olly go? Oh how he wanted to. How badly he wanted to. 

What if? What would happen if he stayed here? He would have parents and a big sister. 

Is she actually your sister or is she going crazy?

He didn’t know! He didn’t know the answers to any of these questions.

If he rid himself of Olruggio, sparing him from more memory wipes then they would both be free. 

Would that set the silverwood off?

Tears pricked at his eye. 

He could save Olruggio. 

“Big sister…” he whispered. 

She looked up from his hands. Her face crumbled at the sight of his tears and she stood up and pulled him into a tight hug. He sagged and held onto her back tightly. 

She laughs. “You know, Puff Puff was your old nickname. You curled up in my neck like a brushbuddy and I couldn’t resist. Your hair now makes you my Puff Puff even more.”

The tears wouldn’t stop in their relief. 

“I–” he gasped out. “I can stay here?” 

She pulled back and cupped his cheeks, wiping tears away. “Of course.”

He can save Olruggio. 

The relief is overwhelming, and so is the pain. 

Colette’s expression drops in horror.

His hands go to his right eye where leaves are beginning to peek through. It splits his eyelid open, growing steadily with the relief and safety of being in his sister's arms. His knees buckle and she catches him.

“Qifrey–” her shout of alarm is cut off by the door slamming open. Olruggio pauses in the threshold, the light from behind him spilling in like an angel. 

No. No. No!

“No…” Qifrey finds himself sobbing out as the silverwood branches out further. 

This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was supposed to save him.

Olruggio makes a sound of alarm, running over to his side. “What’s going on?! Qifrey!” 

He just shakes his head. He knows now. The secrets out. If the relief from knowing that Olruggio could be saved then the twisted squeeze of his lungs as he exhales in pure unrestricted relief is no match. The silverwood grows. 

Olruggio turns to Colette, “what did you do?!” 

Qifrey feels his mind settle in his sorrow, watching them distantly argue. 

There is no winning in this. Either he keeps tainting Olruggio with his filth, erasing his memory, erasing more and more of what Qifrey loves. Going until he can’t. Or free Olly from this vile curse and stay with his sister only to die early. 

His exhale rattled in his lungs, the pain blinding his thoughts. 

They’re trying to take my future away from me…my future. 

He moves without thinking. Grabs a pen, ink, and his quire. Draws the spell he’s stared at and memorized–the spell that haunts his very being. 

“What–what are you doing?” Colette asks, voice shaky.

Qifrey stands stiffly, holding out the spell.

He feels numb even though he vaguely knows there are tears flowing from his eye. 

“Qifrey?” Olruggio says. “Is that?” 

“I’m so sorry…” he whispers. “To both of you.”

“You’re just going to erase my memory?!”

Colette’s eyes widened and she shook her head feverishly. “No! No! You can’t leave me like this! Don’t go away! Don’t do that! Don’t! Don’t you dare make me forget you ever–” Qifrey went to press it to her head and she screamed and flung herself back, hitting the floor. “No…No…”

Qifrey pressed it to her forehead. She passed out. 

“Qifrey?” Olruggio looked wrecked, eyes wide with disbelief. “What did you just do? What were you thinking?!”

He stared at the silverwood and understanding began to dawn on him. 

“This is why you’ve been acting so weird? This is why…” Olly’s face twisted in anguish. 

Qifrey felt a sob build in his throat again. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should’ve known better. I’m so sorry.”

Olly’s eyes shifted to the unconscious Colette. 

Olly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled with acceptance. “Okay. Do what you need to do.” 

Qifrey walked over to Olly, choking on his tears. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know you have to.” 

Qifrey placed the spell to Olruggio’s head and let this illusion shatter forever. 

<•~•~•~•~•>  

Qifrey moved the both of them to their respective rooms. Qifrey finished packing their stuff, getting them ready to leave. He just needed Olly to wake up. 

He sat on the ground, not on the brother’s bed, knees to his chest. He breathed in slowly. Out slowly. Hold it together. Allow yourself a moment of silence. 

Olruggio groans as he wakes up. He pushes himself up on one arm, squinting. His eyes find Qifrey, brightening. “Qifrey! Jeez! How’d I end up falling asleep? I remember walking back…ugh! It’s all muddled.”

Qifrey smiles softly, resting unnaturally on his face. “You were so exhausted, you passed right out when you got here!” 

“Blarghhhh,” Olly groans. “Are we packed?”

Qifrey nods, “and ready! To leave at your word, Sir Olruggio.” 

Olly grins at him, “hey! Now listen here, Sage Qifrey! I wanted this packed by yesterday, hm?” He mimics having a ugly mustache. 

They burst into giggles. 

There’s a knock at the door and Colette pokes her head through. She smiles at the sight of them. Qifrey holds his breath. 

“Hey, you two! You should head off before the sun starts setting. Don’t want you traveling in the dark.” 

Qifrey looks to Olly, watching for his reaction. He just nods and says, “okay, Coco! We’ll be out in a bit.”

She nods and leaves. 

Qifrey exhales, relieved.

The silverwood twists in his chest. 

Olruggio grabs his bags, pausing to look at Qifrey. “You coming?” He tilts his head. 

Qifrey nods. “Yeah. Yeah.” He grabs his bag.

Colette gives them some food for the road. As they walk out the house, Colette waves from the doorway. Olruggio waves enthusiastically back, a grin bright on his face. Qifrey waves back politely. 

It’s as they’re about to enter the woods, the sunset shining in the background over a familiar town and a familiar house that he pauses and looks back.

He hopes Colette has a nice life. Even if he can’t be in it. In the end, it didn’t matter if they were brother and sister. It’s not confirmed and he’ll never truly know with his memories. He thinks he’s okay with that. All that’s important is that he has a future. And he does. He’ll make sure of it. If he has to erase others' memories to do so, then so be it.

Maybe someday, they’ll meet again. Through odd circumstances or through fate. Who knows what could happen.

“Qifrey!” Olruggio calls. “Come on!”

Qifrey looks away and calls back, “I’m coming!” 

He has his heart to follow after all. 

<•~•~•~•~•>  

Some time later…

After the girls have worn themselves out, does Qifrey decide it’s time for bed. He hurds Tetia and Richeh into their rooms, knowing that they’re responsible enough to fall asleep on their own. Qifrey has gotten into the habit of making sure Agott and Coco–specifically Coco, that girl, he thinks fondly–get to bed on time. Agott has settled in her bed, snoring away after an adorable, sleepy, murmur of “goodnight Master…” 

He pulls the covers over Coco, watching her settle. She yawns and he tucks her in, up to her bob length hair. She falls asleep easily, tired from the day's events. 

As he watches her sleep, he thinks of a time fifteen years ago, of a girl with the same name and the same grief. He thinks of who he is today, a teacher to four girls who he loves with his whole soul. He thinks of Olruggio working on a commission a few rooms away. 

He could’ve stayed with her. He didn’t. And he doesn’t regret a thing.

He pushes back Coco’s hair, showcasing her full face. “Good night, Coco. Sleep tight,” he whispers.